Gezicht op een brug over de Ganges before 1867

Thomas George Glover captured this photograph of a bridge over the Ganges, a river of profound spiritual significance. The bridge, a man-made structure, spans this sacred waterway, symbolizing a connection between the earthly and the divine. The act of bridging, both literally and figuratively, resonates deeply within the human psyche. Consider the Roman pontifex, the "bridge-builder," a priest responsible for maintaining the link between gods and mortals. The bridge motif reappears across cultures, embodying transitions, passages, and the overcoming of divisions. The Ganges itself is not merely a river; it is Ganga, a goddess, a purifier, a source of life and death. This photograph, though seemingly a straightforward depiction of a landscape, touches upon humanity’s enduring quest to traverse boundaries, both physical and metaphysical. The image taps into our collective memory, evoking a sense of awe and the timeless human desire to connect with the sacred.